Intraocular lenses (IOLs) are routinely used nowadays for restoring vision after removal of the cataracted lens. Whether the IOL is installed in the posterior chamber of the eye in lieu of the removed cataracted lens, or in the anterior chamber, it must be small enough to pass through a minimal corneal incision. The reduction in the overall dimension of the IOL is limited however, by the necessity of avoiding glare by providing a substitute optic that is large enough to cover the pupil when it is fully dilated for proper night time vision. One approach to reducing glare while at the same time reducing the size of the incision in the cornea is to construct the IOL from several pieces which are joined together after the individual pieces are inserted through the corneal incision as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,889 Kelman. The complexity of this type of IOLs, the difficulty of their post insertion assembly coupled with the required thickness and rigidity of the optic element, still force the ophthalmic surgeon into tolerable compromises between reduced size and peripheral glare coupled with impaired night vision.
Conventional lenticular elements, whatever their size, are still subject to various spherical and thickness aberrations which are not easily correctable during the manufacture of the IOL.
The invention results from a search for a simple, preferably one-piece IOL with an optic having a diameter sufficient to cover the size of a dilated pupil, but yet insertable to a relatively small corneal incision.